The Dixon Memorial Arch was constructed in 1985 as the final iteration of the memorial. Historically, the first was constructed in 1919 to honor the veterans of World War I of Lee County. According to the Lee County Historical Society, it originally read: "Dixon welcomes her returning heroes." Due to the arch's location on the heavily traveled main thoroughfare of Galena Avenue (Lincoln Highway), the first arch deteriorated and was replaced in 1949. In 1966, the second arch was then replaced as part of a road infrastructure project which widened Galena Avenue. Like its predecessor arches, the 1966 arch was made of wood and subsequently deteriorated over the following two decades. It was replaced in 1985 with the existing arch, constructed of fiberglass, though the letters on the arch were salvaged and reinstalled from the 1966 iteration.